Forum:The Future of our Wiki?
This is a discussion about our wiki and its overall evolution. There are two major issues I want to discuss - the science fiction element as well as writing. Your opinions are important. We need to hear what you all have to say. However, I want this solved no later than Saturday the 27th. The worst that could happen is that if this issue were to drag out. Science fiction What direction should our wiki go? Hard science fiction with limited intervention of the Titans Science fantasy with actively used Titan artifacts Either way Our wiki has its roots with Spore. During that time, the hardness of technology did not really matter. We could get away with many things, but as we begun to add more back story to the wiki, it evolved. It is slowly moving away from the fantasy side and more towards the science side. Hence, we've become surprisingly scientifically accurate for a shared universe. However, this has had a major effect on the types of writers we are attracting to this wiki. We are getting both writers interesting in hard sci-fi and fantasy. In response, we created our sister fantasy wiki to direct new audiences who might be more inclined to write in that style, but by doing so, we've made the science aspects of this wiki more noticeable. The Titans, in my opinion, have confused and been abused by new users way too much. God-like characters suggest that this is a fantasy environment, when their real purpose is to serve to explain some unusual phenomenon. In fact, I added the rule that they are not allowed to intervene with mortals to help prevent this, yet it was still not enough. We are seeing less of normal civilizations and instead more of Titan-influenced ones. In my honest opinion, I find the former more interesting as the latter is vulnerable to simple hand waves like "a Titan helped them do it". Now, it's way too late to get rid of the Titans. They've been so deeply intertwined with our storylines, that we can't reverse them without having to redo almost the entirety of Dark Prophecy. However, what we can do is make their appearances very uncommon and focus primarily on mortal affairs. We should explore what great technological civilizations can do without help from god-like entities. However, that's only my opinion. Some may disagree and actually like the science fantasy environment, as it is rather unique after all. Some might say that the Titans are just as interesting as mortals and should be looked into in just as great detail. But then again, we have the fantasy sister wiki for those who want to write fantasy. We need to clearly establish whether we are hard sci-fi or sci-fi fantasy. Writing Should events beyond the current story arc being worked on be firmly established ahead of time? Yes, set in stone future events, then write about the events leading up to them No, leave events beyond the current story arc unestablished Either way The second issue is how story arcs are written. There's been a consistent problem of us planning too far ahead. There's nothing wrong with planning ahead, but the issue is that much of these plans are supposedly set in stone already even though it will likely be another year before we reach that actual story. By set in stone, I mean already established in great detail. For example: Vernietigen's destruction. We know it's going to happen, but should we already establish how it goes down or worry about it until we actually start Galactic Apocalypse? That is the premise of the poll. In my opinion, we should only plan far enough in a story arc to create a sensible story. Future story arcs should be more flexible because things change over time. By change, some of you may know what the Dhragolon were like before we created this wiki. Comparing them to what they are now, the two versions hardly resemble one another. True, the Dhragolon have been around since late 2009, but even while Dark Prophecy was still being written, the Dhragolon and even other species have been revised and edited so much that we had to do a lot of retcons, the reason why it is still being worked on now. If we have something set in stone for something we won't be writing for another year, development and possibilities get limited for not only our own creations but for future users. The pitch system has worked very well. It has culled out the users who are not interested, and it keeps the professional atmosphere our wiki is known to have. However, occasionally, we do get someone who is deeply interesting in writing for us. In fact, they might be just as experienced as a major author. Yes, we do have an established canon, but why place so many restrictions on what these other users can write about? Because of something we set in stone a year away? And because writing takes time, it slows the development of these users when we just say their creations will be involved in a later story. This results in good ideas coming from new users that leave before any of their ideas get used. What I'm saying is that we need solidify our own purpose. Is this wiki supposed to only be a small group of major authors who write everything, or is it a collaborative shared universe written by many users? I really don't mind either, but if we chose to be the former, why did we advertise this wiki on spotlight in the first place? Should we choose the latter, we need to be a lot more open, especially for potential talented users. If we allow new users to write for us, then we as admins cannot seclude ourselves anymore. Comments I'm completely in favor of hard science fiction; Too many users think that the Titans are available for use too often when they're not. However, I'm on a middle road about question on writing. While I agree that new users with great potential shouldn't be shut out due to previously made ideas, I am against leaving the events of future arcs totally unplanned. We shouldn't worry about planning any other major arcs until GA is complete, but when we do, we're not going to wing it; We're going to have a narrative arc established. Not set in stone, but established. And I feel the need to vocalize this now, though I know the implication was unintended: I am not going to open the door very much. New users with potential are welcome, but I'm not letting us slip standards-wise; If they've potential, we won't turn them away because their ideas conflict. But if they lack potential, they won't see a green light from me. Again, I just wanted to make that clear. Now let's get to work getting CC started. It is so spoken, Nra 'Vadumee (talk) 19:33, October 26, 2012 (UTC) I'm not saying we should wing it nor am I suggesting that GA should be left completely up and floating in the air. What I'm suggesting is that if we do plan years in advance, we should not make it so restricting that necessary revisions become too difficult or too impractical. We can say that Vern gets destroyed, but every single detail about the involvement of characters and what exactly they will be doing should not be set in stone. Ideally, arcs, especially Chaos Crisis and the future ones, should be loose enough so that we can allow multiple things to go on at once. Smaller, contemporary arcs, that are happening at the same time as the major arcs.Krayfish (talk) 20:29, October 26, 2012 (UTC) The main thing that worries me about going 'Hard Science Fiction' is what that mean would happen to some of the things here (such as the Titanic Artifacts our characters already earned). To be honest: I don't want Galiana giving up the Amulet. IceBite, the Cryos Specter/Never give in, never surrender. 20:34, October 26, 2012 (UTC) All the Titan related things will stay, but they won't be involved as deeply with the plot as we originally intended. Galiana or any of the other characters don't have to give up their artifacts, but equally, they shouldn't use them to fix every problem that gets in their way.Krayfish (talk) 21:02, October 26, 2012 (UTC) Well, because of the disadvantages, I'll be having Galiana only actively use it in dire straits...but what about the...'passive' idea we were making for the Amulet (the whole 'empowered to 3rd level being, but weakens physical body' bit)? IceBite, the Cryos Specter/Never give in, never surrender. 21:04, October 26, 2012 (UTC) We can still work that in. As long as it has the disadvantages, it should be fine.Krayfish (talk) 21:39, October 26, 2012 (UTC) I think it'll be a good idea to have a bit of both (for the Titan thing). I suggest we still have some mildly (emphasis on mildly) active Titans, but treat them kind of like how Kenneth Branagh's Thor treated the gods: magic and technology are intertwined. My idea is that the Titans have seemingly magical properties which are actually forms of technology beyond that of our understanding. Or is it already like that? Anyways, for the other topic, the one on set-in-stone characters or events, I think that it's really just up to the author. I (for now) intend to work on stories and add info on characters and events as I go along, as adding the events before putting them into stories may be considered as spoilers. Wickle Fwickle (talk) 02:02, October 27, 2012 (UTC)